Homeschooling is not only for type A personality and hippie moms! Messy and disorganized mamas like myself can homeschool too. So if you are wanting to homeschool your children, but worried about being disorganized, do not fret. Here are some tips to help you along the way.
1. Pick a Homeschool Approach You Love
When it comes to homeschooling you will want to pick an approach you really jive with. I find that a lot of us disorganized folks are very passionate. So when the way we school our children fires up our excitement it is so much easier to stay on course. If we know that how we are teaching our children is going to benefit them it will be much easier to stay on top of things.
Find an approach to get passionate about.
There are so many approaches to homeschool. I have linked some resources to research if you want to learn more:
It is actually super exciting to teach your kids from home. Especially when you have a great materials and resources. You do not have to fall perfectly into a model or approach. However I find it helpful to have trusted resources (these can be people) to refer back to when you feel stuck.
There are so many helpful sites, curriculums, & groups online to glean from. So do your research and find something you like.
2. Set Goals for Homeschooling
Depending on how you do your schooling sometimes getting a little disorganized is just a part of life, that’s okay! Setting goals for your year, quarter, week, and day will help to make sure you stay on track. Goals for both you as the teacher and for your child as the student.
Disorganized mama, set goals to stay focused on what matters.
When you are first preparing to homeschool you want to focus on what your longterm goals are. Where do you want your child to be by the end of the school year. Then you break that down piece by piece to make your smaller goals weekly/daily.
Here is an example if your child is still young your goals for the year might be simple as:
- identify the primary and secondary colors by name
- count from 1-20 consecutively
- recognize and begin writing name
- recite the sound of each letter from the alphabet
For older kids you can find your states standards for your child’s age if you want to make sure you are on par with the public school system. Then go from there.
Of course you do not have to make your child hit all the requirements of the state, but it is something you do want to look at to make sure you are following whatever guidelines and testing your state requires (it varies state to state).
As the teacher your goals might look like:
- prep each week of lessons the week before
- pre-read any materials being covered in the week
- prepare materials the night before
- write down students progress weekly/monthly/quarterly
Setting goals does not have to be daunting it is a chance to dream about what kind of teacher you want to be and what kind of student you desire your child to be.
3. Persevere & Make Changes to Your Homeschool
Sometimes the hardest part of homeschooling is to keep up the momentum. Perseverance can be hard if something is just not clicking with your student. So if you have tried your best and feel like you’re now in the realm of impossible not just hard, change something.
Homeschooling is not the problem & neither are you.
This tip pertains to all types of people but I find being disorganized sometimes causes me to want to just give up on everything. When I feel like giving up completely it is time to make a change. Change does not have to be permanent, you can try a new order of subjects, work in a different environment, or do something completely new for a short time.
The beauty of homeschooling is you have the flexibility to alter the original plan. You might start off with these grand ideas that unschooling is going to be the best mode of education for your child since you and your child are both such free spirits.
A few weeks in you might be starting to wonder…is my child learning anything? Are we just watching Youtube videos of sea creatures?
Later it might click for you that since you and your child are such free spirits you thrive better on a more structured school model. That way you can put all the creativity in a set direction.
Sometimes the change needed is so obvious and simple that we just need a second to gain perspective. Ask yourself: What do I want to get out of homeschooling? What are my hopes for my child? What is preventing this from happening.
Sometimes the only thing needed to change is your attitude.. which is not something I like to hear either. But if your curriculum is working, your approach is enjoyable, your schedule is smooth, sometimes an attitude change makes all the difference.
4. Plan & Prep Ahead of Time for Your Homeschool Day
Planning ahead is what all great teachers do. Sure teachers who have been teaching for a long time might not have very much to prep because they just make minor changes each year, but they have already put in the hard work.
As a homeschool teacher the best thing you can do for your student is to prep everything in advance. Over preparation is always manageable, under-preparation can make a great lesson flop.
Disorganized homeschooler, you need to prepare ahead. You know that you will be tempted to skip out on the lesson if you don’t.
Planning ahead can be done primarily the night before and a little 15 minute prep the night before can make all the difference. If something comes up it is much easier to adapt your lesson and school day. When you are not prepared at all the smallest kink in your day can throw off your whole plan.
Preparing in advanced is a good way to keep your homeschool life more organized. Especially if you are generally a disorganized person. Often times we disorganized people need more structure and less chaos. So prepare ahead, you will thank yourself.
Do you homeschool as a disorganized person? Leave your tips in the comments below.
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Thank you for encouraging those of us who are not perfectly organized. We need to hear that we are doing a good job too 🙂 love these ideas!
We need to encourage one another, thanks for stopping by.
I’m gearing up to officially begin my homeschooling/unschooling adventure with my oldest child. I’m nervous and so excited as I educate myself about how joyful Educating my children can be.
So excited for you! Your kids will be blessed.
So glad I’m not the only disorganized homeschool mom on the planet! We are planning to start homeschool with our oldest this year (2022), and I’m sometimes overwhelmed by how much there is to organize. Thanks for this great post!
You are DEFINITELY not alone! Excited for your new journey.